My Week in Athens… Jul 26

It’s summer vacation time in much of the world, and Athens is still playing host to lots of travelers from all over. It seems like fewer than other years, especially if media reports are correct – but it still seems like the city is busy and in full summer swing.

One of those visitors was my 11-year old niece, who was visiting for the first time from Toronto. After a 3-week stay in Greece, I asked her to tell me what she thought about Athens.

And this is what she said:

“Athens is alive. Very alive. It has lots of energy. Depending on where you go, you might see old history, ancient places, but also lots of newer things. And the newer parts have lots of stores, with nice cafes and really good food.

I would definitely clean up some graffiti. Some of the trains need a good cleaning, too – and maybe better air conditioning. I’d say Athens is more crowded than Toronto, but I think it looks nicer, more interesting. There are brighter colours, and no tall buildings. The old parts of Athens are nice because they give you a variety of things to look at. More people spoke English than I thought, so it was easy to be understood. “

And what should someone see when they visit Athens?

“The Acropolis, of course. Plaka is great. And one of those Laiki street markets for sure.”

What would you tell people to skip, or not bother seeing?

“I’d tell them to see everything! I really liked everything! But you can skip going to the open air cinema on a hot night before 9pm – you’ll be boiling, and you’ll be watching a movie in total daylight.”

There you have it – I’d say most of us agree with her.

Hope you’re all enjoying summer…

Until next week…

Jack

In this weekly space, keep up with ‘Jack’ as he navigates daily life in Athens… Anecdotes, stories, hits & misses, the good, the bad and, well, the rest…Have a story to share? Send it to ideas@xpatathens.com!